Tuesday 5 July 2011

The new Greenpeace yacht afloat - at least for the time being




Greenpeace´s new €23 million  "don´t call it a yacht" Rainbow Warrior III has gone afloat in Germany. Among the greenie cultists present, was "longtime Greenpeace crew member" Rien Achtenberg, who seems to have gone into a state of extacy at the event:

"As I walked into the ship construction hall, and saw the new Rainbow Warrior standing outside, beyond the partly opened door on a high platform, I felt a shiver of emotion and felt immensely proud and impressed by her - and Greenpeace as an organisation. She looked shiny and new (of course) in her familiar green paint, the dove and the rainbow all carefully already painted on her hull".

And maybe not without a reason, because Achtenberg´s successors on board the new yacht will enjoy the comfort of a luxury yacht. Here are some of the amenities the sailing cultists will be able to enjoy while on board:

"One of the more insistent requirements, particularly from long-term crew members with the scent of old voyages to the Arctic or up the Amazon still vivid, was for a shower in each double cabin, as opposed to the scant communal facilities that had characterised previous boats.
Keen attention was also paid to ... the galley facilities" (= a gourmet kitchen)

(Of course the single cabins also have a private bathroom)

And this is how Greenpeace describes the beds for the crew:

"Not content with a bed these activists will also have a mattress to lie on! It does make sleeping a lot more comfortable and the days of lying in a hammock smoking ciragarettes and talking about the war are long gone"

It is easy to believe what Greenpeace says; the price of one mattress is 300 euros (about 440 USD). You can still "buy" these luxurious mattresses for the crew here, if you think it´s a great idea that these cultists should sleep well while on board.

And, of course, when the greenies are not out e.g. harassing legal oil exploration workers, they can relax by watching Al Gore´s films on 900 euro (1300 USD) 46 inch HD flat screen TVs.

A number of the yacht´s interior details appear to be somewhat less expensive  - toilet roll holders e.g. cost only 10 euros. Cheap imports from China or Vietnam (hopefully not made by children)?

Of course, the ships more warship-like features are state of the art:

the advanced technology that will drop smaller inflatable speedboats from its sides at record speed for the quickest possible advance or getaway; the helicopter pad that can be created on deck; the below-deck radio room with its reinforced door built to allow at least 30 minutes transmission time in the event of the ship being boarded – as it has been in the past – by SAS-style commandos wielding axes

Maybe the "activists" need the advertised 75 euro "camouflage jackets" when they go hiding into the radio room?

Below deck the ship will house one of the most sophisticated communications operations anywhere on the ocean.

Read the entire article here

PS
In order to uphold the overall  level of luxury on board, a Michelin star chef to head the galley operation would appear to be the obvious choice. Gone are the days when activists could survive for weeks on "Babu´s palak paneer things"!

No comments: